Swimming: Novocastrian Thomas Fraser-Holmes relishing coach swap and change of scenery with European meets

With renewed energy following a 12-month ban from the sport, issued in June 2017 by FINA for three missed doping tests, Fraser-Holmes feels ready to take on the next two major international meets.

The 2019 World Championships in South Korea in July and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo are the main goals for the 27-year-old Novocastrian, who is now training under Michael Bohl at Gold Coast's Griffith University campus.

And the Newcastle Knights fan is fresh back from racing, for the first time, in Finland capital Helsinki, Norway's Bergen and Stockholm in Sweden.

ONE TO WATCH: Dolphins coach hails return of Fraser-Holmes

"I feel really good, I'm in a really good head space and I'm really enjoying my swimming," Fraser-Holmes told the Newcastle Herald.

"I've probably come back more refreshed and it doesn't feel like a job or a chore.

"It [the break] probably helped put things into perspective and I know I'm closer to the end than the beginning [of my career].

"This will probably be my last Olympic campaign and I'm looking forward to see what I can do. I want to swim fast."

Fraser-Holmes has recently switched coaches from now retired Denis Cotterell, who was based out of the Miami club on the Gold Coast, to Bohl.

The two-time Olympian and and five-time Commonwealth Games medalist has enjoyed the different perspective from Bohl, who has previously instructed the likes of Stephanie Rice, Mitch Larkin and Emma McKeon.

"They [Cotterell and Bohl] have two different styles," Fraser-Holmes said.

"In rugby league terms, Denis does a lot of laps around the oval whereas Michael is shorter stuff more specific to racing.

"It's been a good challenge and it's more suited at this stage of my career. A bit more refined."

The 400 metre individual medley remains "his baby" and he clocked four minutes and 14.32 seconds on April 14, ranking him 12^th in the world this year.

However, the 4x200m freestyle relay is also high on Fraser Holmes' agenda.

"I think we'll have a strong team over the next 12 months," he said.

"Kyle Chalmers, Mack Horton, myself and a few others in the mix. It's something I want to be a part of."

Fraser-Holmes, who by-passed nationals in Adelaide last month, trained under his father Dennis at Charlestown during 2018 before claiming silver in the 400m IM at the World Short Course Championships in China in December.

He is expected to be joined at the country's long course World Championship trials in Brisbane from June 9 by fellow Hunter products Meg Bailey and Abbey Harkin.

Twenty two-year-old Bailey, who debuted for Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, has recently arrived back home after graduating from Ohio State University in the US.

Twenty one-year-old Harkin, who represented the Dolphins at the World Short Course Championships in China last year, collected seven medals and four personal best times at last month's national titles.